Last Thursday the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged a whopping 512 points. The next day the Labor Department reported that 117,000 new jobs were created in July, surpassing expectations. Now President Obama is preparing to hit the road to talk about jobs across the country.

Experts have been saying for a while that the recession is over — but is it really? Or are we about to experience the feared “double dip recession?”

We’ll check in with a local economist to hear how he thinks the Oregon economy is faring. And we want to hear from you: what’s your indication of economic success or failure these days? Is your personal economy improving? Are you hopeful or fearful about the future?